Ps 101:6 is an important verse about the value of good fellowship. I bump into people all the time who don’t appreciate the importance of what is stated in this verse.
Sometimes people will tell me, “Hey, look! I can worship God in the cathedral of the stars. When I am walking through the forest, that’s when I worship God!!” That’s great. Scripture tells us that we ought to find ways to worship and be thankful everywhere we go and anywhere we are. That’s really wonderful. But scripture also enjoins us to be a part of worship in a fellowship of believers.
I can and do feel motivated under the stars or in a forest as well. I, too, can feel the echo of the divine in the created order. I too can look at the stars and be moved to wonder about the great creator. But my worship to God is not complete without the fellowship of the saints.
Some will say, “I don’t need a church. I feel God when I help people out. I see God on every face.” That’s good. So happy for you. You are doing something I would like to see more Christians doing. There are many believers who think that service to God is showing up at a meeting and giving an up or down vote. They think that is serving God. I myself know the discipline of serving people in need. I need that discipline. I have been blessed by seeing hope spark in a pair of eyes. I have seen the tears running down the faces of someone who felt touched by the love of God shown them through the work of my hands working in concert with the hands of others in my church. I know I am most effective when I work alongside my church family. I know I still need fellowship with other believers to properly serve God.
I have known those who say, “I don’t need church. I can learn about God on my own. I have my Bible. I have my Christian TV and and Christian radio. I don’t need a church.” I myself have enjoyed listening to these things. I have been encouraged and inspired through these modes of broadcast. And of course I love to read my Bible. I have learned much through them, and will always be grateful for the teachings of Insight for Living with Chuck Swindoll, when I was a young Christian without guidance. But I still need the fellowship of the saints.
There is something that happens when you are with the saints regularly that you don’t get when you attempt to serve, worship and learn about God on your own. Something that David, Paul and Jesus affirmed when they commanded and taught that we need to be a part of the Saints. There is a honing, and challenging, a mentoring that takes place that cannot happen in us without fellowship. A blacksmith can form a beautiful sword, but it must be tempered or it will break in combat. Fellowship is your tempering. You can have a knife, but with will not cut if it is not sharpened. Fellowship is your sharpening (Proverbs 27:17). You can play a song on a piano. But it will not play well if the keys are not tuned. Fellowship tunes you for the worship that God wants. If you avoid fellowship with other Christians you are an unfinished, weak, dull and untuned Christian; if you are a Christian at all!
Hard words. But its the truth. I suspect that the real reason people avoid fellowship has more to do with control issues. Fearing to lose control of the secrets that you keep. Fearing to lose control of your personal sovereignty because of the discipline of submission you will be required to practice. Fear to lose control of that which you hold dear when you are asked to give of your time, talents or tithe.
I am so honest and blunt only for your good. Of course, if you, the reader were really skipping on church, I doubt that you would have read this far! But this Christmas, give Jesus the gift that he really wants. Your fellowship with His saints. They need you and you need them. Let them minister to you as you minister to them. He gave His all for you. Give your all for Him and His people. Do so in a congregation this weekend.
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